The heads of some of Britain’s best state schools today warn of the dangers of a Labour government reversing radical education reforms.

In a letter to the Daily Mail, 80 current and former leaders say there is clear evidence that academy-style freedoms are benefiting a generation of children.

But they say Labour – and some senior Lib Dems – appear to be threatening to reimpose state controls.

The letter, signed by the heads of good and outstanding autonomous schools, was backed yesterday by David Cameron.

In it, they claim there is evidence that the most successful education systems benefit from schools with academy-style freedoms.

They say such schools are more likely to be ranked ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted and more likely to improve.

‘Secondary schools which have converted to academy status outperform other schools – by a margin of almost 10 per cent,’ they wrote.

But the heads expressed alarm at comments by Ed Miliband that Labour would reimpose ‘a proper local authority framework for all schools’.

Senior Lib Dems were also accused of suggesting they no longer support freedom for acdemies, which are able to control pay, conditions and the curriculum.

‘This is not the time to stop something that is working to the benefit of so many children in schools,’ wrote the heads.

Schools on the letter include Torquay Boys’ Grammar School, ranked in the top 100 for GCSE results this year. United Westminster Schools in London is also on the list, and includes Grey Coat Hospital – where Mr Cameron’s daughter Nancy starts this year.

Tom Clark, chairman of Freedom and Autonomy for Schools National Association, which organised the letter, added: ‘Our only concern is that the autonomy which has worked well for pupils stays in place.’

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The letter, signed by the heads of good and outstanding autonomous schools, was backed by David Cameron

As the General Election campaign turned to education yesterday, the Prime Minister also attacked Labour yesterday for opposing the expansion of free schools – which are run by groups such as teachers, parents and charities and are outside of local authority control. He said the opposition’s antipathy appeared to be based on a concern that ‘if we set up a good new school, everyone will want to go there’.

‘Yes – that’s the whole point,’ he told the Mail. ‘How can you possibly be against an excellent school setting up another excellent school?’

He accused Labour of being ‘anti free schools’ for suggesting it wants to scrap the scheme. ‘It’s that mindset that says choice, freedom, responsibility, aspiration – that these are things to worry about rather than celebrate,’ he added.

The education reforms, masterminded by Michael Gove, have been hailed by Mr Cameron as the most important ‘for a generation’.

THE LETTER SIGNED BY 80 HEADTEACHERS CONCERNED BY RED ED'S PLANS

Ed Miliband has said Labour would ‘have a proper local authority framework for all schools’

We write as current and former headteachers and school leaders of good and outstanding autonomous schools across the country committed to the very best in state education.

FASNA — the Freedom and Autonomy for Schools National Association — has helped build a consensus over 25 years which recognises that diversity and self-determination help shape outstanding education. We are firmly committed to the maintenance of current academy freedoms.

International evidence shows that the most successful education systems benefit from schools with academy-style freedoms.

The freedoms which have come with academy status have helped FASNA schools to improve education for children in our own schools and also enabled us to work better together to raise standards in other schools.

The evidence shows that primary schools which have converted to academy status are doing better than other schools — they are more likely to be ranked ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted and are more likely to improve from ‘good’ to ‘outstanding’.

Secondary schools which have converted to academy status out-perform other schools by a margin of almost 10 per cent.

But as school leaders we are concerned that recent statements from Liberal Democrat and Labour politicians suggest they might not protect all the freedoms which schools and teachers now enjoy and which are helping to drive up standards across the board.

Though Shadow Education Secretary Tristram Hunt said that Labour would not ‘go back to the old days of the local authority running all the schools’, Ed Miliband has said Labour would ‘have a proper local authority framework for all schools’.

And a Liberal Democrat education spokesman told a recent FASNA conference that he could not support the freedom for schools to vary pay and conditions or to vary the curriculum, and he felt that schools needed local control.

Any erosion of school freedoms through local authority or government regulation or overbearing ‘middle-tier’ structures will reduce the capacity of schools to perform well in the future.

We call on all political leaders to guarantee that all current academy freedoms, including those relating to pay and conditions and the curriculum, will be maintained after the General Election.

This is not the time to stop something that is working to the benefit of so many children in schools.